Manoil was one of the top four toy dimestore soldier companies in the United States during their heyday. Production started in 1936 and peaked with 80,000 toys being produced on a daily basis in 1940. With the start of WW II, the company was unable to obtain government contracts and struggled during the war. Post-war they reopened with a newer line of figures and continued with some production until 1953 when they again closed due to a shortage of materials during the Korean War. They are rememberd for their dynamic figures which were realistic, vivid and down to earth depictions of both military and civilian characters.
Manoil Gallery
My collection includes all of the medical pieces with some paint variations. One of the variations includes the color of the “red cross” which was sometimes done in green or gold. The number system below for individual pieces comes from the O’Brien book listed in references and is often used by collectors.Â
Of note, other manufacturers sometimes copied pieces from other producers. I’ve included an example below for a stretcher produced initially by Barclay and later copied by American Metal Toys. Also, it is not uncommon to see newer copies of the older pieces. The 500 series stretcher bearers and wounded shown below (M205/206) are shown along with a solid cast copy.
There is also a tagged doctor that reportedly came from the archive of another producer showing the date and price paid. May have been used for research or comparison to the other producer’s line of products.Â
- R O’Brien. Collecting American-Made Toy Soldiers: Identifcation and Value Guide. 3rd ed. Books Americana; 1996.
